We were appalled that Edward McMillan-Scott MEP was expelled from the Conservative party (Editorial, 19 September) for standing successfully against the Polish extremist Michal Kaminski for the vice-presidency of the European parliament.

David Cameron's MEPs recently left the moderate group of the European People's party, which now consists of all the EU centre-right parties except the Conservatives. They have instead associated themselves with a group opposed by many for its extremist views.

Has Cameron forgotten that Harold Macmillan, the Tory prime minister who first tried to take Britain into Europe, resigned the whip when the leadership insisted on appeasing Hitler? He was not expelled. He also campaigned against the official Tory candidate Quintin Hogg in favour of an independent, Dr AL Lindsay, on an anti-appeasement ticket at a byelection. Sir Edward Heath, who as Tory PM took Britain into Europe, also supported Lindsay. Neither Macmillan nor Heath were expelled for their opposition to extremism.

McMillan-Scott did not oppose a Conservative candidate. Kaminski is well-known for his extreme policies. Yet McMillan-Scott was expelled. Daniel Hannan was not expelled for his anti-NHS speech in the US, nor for saying that Enoch Powell was his political hero.

It is high time that moderates woke up to the truth. Cameron has departed from the moderate pro-European history of the Conservative party.

Maureen Tomison

Chair, East Kent European Movement

This letter was amended on 28 September 2009. The meaning of a sentence was changed when the original letter was edited for publication and this sentence was removed.